Foldable ironing board



Aug. 10, 1965 J. D. STELNICEANU 3,199,472 FOLDABLE IRONING BOARD Filed Dec. 11. 1961 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VE NTOR :7. Q Ste/niceanu ATTORNEYS Aug. 10, 1965 J. D; STELNICEANU FOLDABLE IRONING BOARD Filed Dec. 11. 1961 FIG.4'

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTO R NE VS} Aug. 10, 1965 J. D. STELNICEANU FOLDABLE IRONING BOARD 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 11. 1961 IN VE N TOR J 0 Ste/m'ceanu ff ATTOR NEY Aug. 10, 1965 J. D. STELNICEANU 3,199,472

FOLDABLE IRONING BOARD Filed Dec. 11. 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG.9

//V YEA/70!? J D. St e/nicea nu ATTORNEYS Aug. 10, 1965 J. D. STELNICEANU FOLDABLE IRONING BOARD 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 11. 1961 ATTORNEY;

United States Patent C) 3,199,472 FULDABLE IRGNING BOARD .lacqnes Dominique Stelniceanu, 17 Rue Theme, Esbly, France Fiied Dec. 11, 1961, Ser. No. ,822 Claims priority, application France, Nov. 22, 1958,

i2 flairns. (or. 108-119 This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior application, Serial No. 848,471, filed October 23, 1959, and hereby abandoned.

My invention relates to an improved ironing board which is remarkably easy to set up, fold up, or raise or lower in height.

Conventional ironing boards are provided with two legs, the first of which is pivotally connected at its upper end to the board proper, while the second leg is pivotally connected to the first leg at a point intermediate the ends of both. The upper end of this second leg is adapted to cooperate with a stop on the bottom of the ironing board proper which is spaced from the pivotal connection of said board to the first leg. The two legs are customarily of equal length, since if they were not, the pivotal connection between would have to be carefully located to divide the two legs proportionally so that the board will be horizontal when in position to be used. Furthermore, if the leg pivoted directly to the board is made the shorter one, the other leg cannot nest within it when the board is folded up.

I have, however, discovered that if the second leg, that is to say the leg having an upper end free to slide on the board, is made longer below the common pivot point than the first leg, the board may be easily folded and unfolded with one hand. The portion of the second leg above the pivot point must, however, be no longer than the corresponding portion of the first; otherwise nesting is impossible. This arrangement would result in a slight slope to the board when in operating position, if both legs were straight. This defect may, however, be avoided by providing either the work board or the second leg with a part which is inclined away from its principal plane toward the other of these two members, so as to shorten the gap which the upper part of the second leg must bridge in order to provide a level support for the work board. This part could be an inclined ramp on the bottom of the work board on which the upper end of the second leg slides, but the elegant solution is simply to bend the upper part of the second leg toward the upper part of the first leg, and the work board, thus avoiding the need for roviding any additional part, such as a ramp. The upper part of the second leg is then made slightly shorter than the upper part of the first leg, in order to facilitate the folding and unfolding of the board. In comparing the lengths of the upper parts of the legs, it will of course be appreciated that the first leg could be mounted on a pivot spaced from the lower work board surface by one or more distance pieces, or blocks. This procedure would, however, result simply in a substitution of the block or distance piece for part of the upper portion of the first arm, and in order to avoid repetitious language the term upper portion of the first arm is hereinafter used to indicate the distance between the point at which the legs are pivoted together and the lower surface of the work board at the point of attachment of said first leg, regardless of whether this distance is taken up entirely by the first leg proper, or by a combination of the first leg with a distance piece which constitutes in effect an extension thereof. The legs should also be pivotally connected at a point above their centers of gravity, so that when the board rests on the short leg, the heavier lower part of the longer leg tends to EJ993472 Patented Aug. 10, 1965 swing it toward the shorter one. Alternatively, or additionally, resilient means may be used to bias the upper end of the legs toward each other.

My invention also comprises adjustable stop means adapted to so cooperate with said second and longer leg as to make it possible to change the level of the board very easily and quickly.

Several embodiments of my invention will now be described, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation showing an ironing board according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the board shown in FIG. 1 in its folded position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the board shown on FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 4, 4a, 5, 5a, 6 and 7 are schematic views showing how the board according to the invention is folded and unfolded; and

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view showing another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view showing a third embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view looking upward toward the bottom of the board shown in FIG. 9; and

FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 are partial vertical sections on an enlarged scale taken through the longitudinal axis of the board, showing various cooperative relationships between the adjustable stop means and the upper end of the leg 7.

As shown on the drawings, the board 1 is provided at one end with an iron rest 2. The body portion of this iron rest consists of a tube which is so firmly fixed to the board by means of screws 4, for example, that it may be used as a handle to move the board, as will be hereinafter explained.

The leg 5 consists of two laterally spaced longitudinal members pivotally connected at 6 to the board 1, while the leg 7 comprises two like members pivotally connected at 8 to the leg 5. The upper ends and 10 of the leg 7 are provided with rollers 11 so that during folding and unfolding of the board they roll smoothly along the lower surface of the board 1. The upper part of the leg 7 above the pivot point 8 is slightly shorter than the corresponding part of the leg 5, but bent slightly toward leg 5 so as to nevertheless support the board at the same distance from the ground and provide a level working surface. This curvature of the upper portion of the leg 7 also makes it easier to set up the ironing board for reasons which will be explained when the operation is hereinafter described in detail.

In accordance with the invention, and as may be seen in particular on FIG. 2, the portion of the leg 7 below the pivot point 8 is slightly longer than the corresponding part of the leg 5. The length of the leg 7 is also such that, when the board is folded up, its lower end projects slightly beyond the end of the board, as seen in FIG. 2. The ends of these two legs are provided with rubber tips 12 which prevent the legs from sliding on the floor.

It should be noted that the pivot points 6 at which the leg 5 is attached to the board 1 are far enough from the center of gravity of the board so that the board, when supported only at these points, has a tendency to swing under the influence of its own weight in the direction of the arrow 13 (FIG. 1). Moreover, the pivot point 8 is above the center of gravity of the legs, so that they tend to swing toward each other whenever either one is fre to move.

Near its ends 9 and 10 the leg 7 carries a crossbar 14 rotatably mounted therein. This crossbar carries a transverse sleeve 15 which slidably receives a rod 16 pivotally connected at 18 to the board 1. A stop 19 may be screwed into any of the holes 17 in the rod id. Consequently, when the board is unfolded, the crossbar 14, which rests on the stop it, determines the height of the ironing board. 7

On FIG. 1 the solid lines show an adjustment of the board corresponding to a suitable height I1 while the broken lines show another adjustment corresponding to a lower height 11 .t will be understood that during the folding and unfolding of the board the rod 15 slides in the sleeve 15, which can follow the angular displacement of the rod because the Cl'OSSL/ZU: 14 is mounted to be freely rotatable on the leg 7.

It will also be understood that by changing the position of tie stop 19 on the rod 16 it is possible to adjust the height of the board.

FIGS. 4, 4a, 5 and 5a show how, after having placed the board in its vertical closed position, it is possible to open it by using only one hand, which acts on the handle 3 which constitutes the iron rest.

It will be noted that in its vertical folded position, as shown Fit}. 4, the board rests at A on the leg 7 the lower portion of which, in accordance with the invention, is slightly longer than the corresponding portion of leg 5. The upper end B of the board is then swung slightly to the left as indicated by the arrow at the top of PEG. 4. Since the portion of the board 1 below the axis 8 is much heavier than the portion above it, the board it will tend to remain vertical, whereas the leg 7 will lean to the left, so that the board as a whole will assume the position shown in FIG. 4a. Downward pressure at the point B will thus tend to urge the axis 8, which is then to the left of a straight line between A and B, further to the left, thus pressing the upper end 7a of the leg 7 against the bottom of the board 11, which helps to lift it. It should be noted that if the leg 7 were straight, the points A, 8 and B would be in almost a straight line, so that downward pressure at B would have little or no tendency to force the axis 25 to the l ft, and the end 7a of the leg 7 would exert no upward pressure on the board ll.

From the position shown in FIG. 4a, further pressure at the point B acting downward and to the right will bring the board first to the position shown in FIG. 5, and then to the position shown in FIG. 5a while the leg 5 pivots about the aXis 8 of the leg 7 and the rollers 11 roll on the lower surface of the board 1 (these rollers having no tendency to move away from the board, since the latter, by reason of its weight, always has a tendency to swing about the pivot point 6 in the direction of the arrow 13, as shown on FIG. 1 and thus rest on the rollers Ill).

FIG. 5a shows the board in its open position, but still resting only on the leg 7 because of the force exerted by the operator, who by progressively decreasing this force, easily brings the board to rest on its two legs.

In order to retold the board, it is sufiicient, as shown in FIG. 6, to exert a force on the handle 3 in the direction of the arrow 21, so as to raise the board and make it rest on the leg 5. Since the 1 wer part or" the leg 7 is longer than the upper part, its weight will swing that leg in the direction or the arrow 22 while the rollers ill roll onward and eventually leave the lower surface of the board l, which swings downward under the force of its own weight.

When the lower end of the lon er leg 7 reaches the floor, the shorter leg 5 is lifted clear of the floor, as shown on FIG. 7. The board then continues to fold up until it reaches its vertical position resting solely on the leg '7.

It will be seen that an operator may fold up and unfold the board according to the invention by using only one hand, the characteristics of the board being such that these operations may be carried out smoothly and easily.

FIG. 8 shows in perspective a second embodiment of l the board according to the invention. In this embodiment the leg '7 is pivotally attached at 8 to the log 5 (which is in turn pivotally attached to the board It) but the leg 7 itself is not otherwise connected to the board .l.

On the other hand, as in the case of the first embodimcnt shown on FIGS. 1 to 3, the ends 9 and of the leg 7 are provided with rollers ll rolling on the lower surface of the board 1 during its folding up and unfolding.

A crossbar 23 which connects the ends 9 and 19 of the leg ll serves as an axle for the rollers ll, bears, when the board is in its horizontal position, on a stop 24 mounted on the bottom of the board ll. This stop, which is provided with a series of holes 25, may be fixed in diiierent positions by means of the 27.

The folding and unfolding of the ironing board in the case or" the second embodiment is carried out in the same way as in the case of the first embodiment. See FlGS. 4-7.)

It will be noted that during the unfolding of the board the rollers ll ne er lose contact with the lower surface of the board. It is for this reason that, in the second embodiment, no connection is provided between the leg 7 and the board and it is only when the board is in its horizontal position that the cross bar 23 is held by the stop 24.

The embodiment of FIG. 9 diliers from those of H63. 1 and 8 in that a spring 39 is connected between the crossbar 23 at the upper end of leg '7, and a point on the bottom of the board It near the handle 2. This spring biases the upper end of the leg '7 toward the upper end of the leg 5'. This assists in lowering the board, and such assistance may be necessary if the difference between the weights of the upper and lower parts of the leg 7 is insuflicient to quickly overcome the frictional resistance to movement of the rollers 11; on the board It caused by the weight of the board on those rollers.

The embodiment of HG. 9 also comprises adjustable stop means 33, the position of which may be changed with one hand, by using the lever 34. This stop means comprises a channel member 35 which is attached to the bottom of the board 1 by screws The channel member 35 is provided with two notches as in which the control lever 34 is pivotally mounted, with its end 34a lying slightly below the board 1. As may be seen on PIGS. 1ll3, the lever 35 is fixed to a rod 37 provided with a catch The two ends of a generally U-shaped spring 33 are seated in holes 3517 in the channel member 35 and this spring biases the rod 37, and consequently the lever arm 34a, downwardly, away from the board.

An adjustable stop member 39 is slidably mounted in the channel member 35 and provided with a runner 3% which bears against the lower surface of the board 1 and slides thereon as the height of the board is adjusted. The stop member 39 is also provided with a series of holes a, b, c, a, e, 1, adapted to cooperate with the catch 37a. The end of the stop member carries a fork 4th. The rod 23 on the end of the leg 7 is seated in this fork when the board is in its horizontal position. A spring 30 is attached to the rod 23 by means of a bent steel member 41. This member comprises two loops 41a which encircles the rod 22%, as well as two hooks illa which, when the board is set up for use, are positioned above the transverse bar d2 which extends across the end of the stop member 39, as shown in FIG. 11.

Rings 43 (FIG. 10) are fixed to the rod 23 on either side of the loops 41a to prevent lateral displacement of the member 41.

The height of the board may be adjusted as follows:

FIG. 11 shows the board in a position to be used, at an average height, the stop 39 being locked in position by the catch 37a which is seated in the hole c in the stop member 39. The rod 23 of the leg 7 is seated in the fork 40 and the board 1 rests on the rollers 11 of the leg 7. In this position the ends of the hooks 41b are above the level of the bar 42 so that, if the board is then folded up, the hooks 4112 will not catch on the bar 42.

When the board is to be lowered, the lever 34a is moved in the direction of the arrow F (FIGS. 11 and 13), thus lifting the catch 37a out of the hole c in the stop member 39.

The board may then be lowered by simply pressing down on it.

The rollers are thus moved toward the left, against the resistance of the Spring 30. The rod 23 pushes against the fork 40 on the stop member 39, and one need only release the lever 34a in order to permit the catch 37a to fall into the desired hole in the stop member 39, to lock the board at its new height.

In order to raise the board, it is necessary only to again lift the lever 34a, thereby releasing catch 37a from its hole, raise the board, and again release the lever. It will be noted that since the lever 34a is just below the board, the same hand which lifts the lever can also lift the adjacent side of the board It will be further noted that during the lifting process the board is lifted off the end of the leg 7, but the hooks 41b then catch on the bar 42, thus connecting the rod 23 of the leg 7 to the stop member 39, which is drawn toward the right by the spring 30, so that the legs of the board as well as the stop member 39, are repositioned to conform to the height at which the board proper is being held.

It will be seen that the spring 30 performs three vital functions? (1) It assists in folding up the ironing board.

(2) By interposing a yielding resistance, it prevents a sudden collapse of the ironing board when the catch 37a is lifted out of contact with the stop member 39, preliminary to raising or lowering the level of the board.

(3) 'It automatically moves the stop member 39 and leg 7 to the necessary new position when the board proper is lifted.

It is, however, essential that the spring 3% be relatively weak, so that it will not exert so great a force as to swing the leg 7 toward its closed position in spite of the force exerted by the weight of the board proper on the rollers 11 and the friction between the feet of the legs 5 and 7 and the floor.

On the other hand, the force exerted by the spring 3t) must be large enough to help counterbalance the weight of the board proper when the device is 'being folded up, and attract the stop member 39 when the board is being raised.

It will of course be appreciated that many of the particular structural details shown could be easily modified without thereby departing from the invention. A notched rack, for instance, could be substituted for the perforated stop member 39.

Safety means may also be added to protect against the possibility of an exceptionally clumsy attempt to open up the board, in which the rod 23 might fail to catch in the fork 40. This safety means may take the form of a wire connected between the point 31 at which the spring 30 is attached to the board, and the channel member 35. A ring attached to the rod 23 or steel member 41 may encircle this wire, so as to prevent the upper end of the leg 7 from moving so far away from the board 1 as to miss the fork 40, as the board is being set up.

I claim:

1. A folding ironing board of the type comprising an elongated work board, a rigid first leg having an upper end pivotally attached to said work board at an attachment point between the center of gravity of said work board and one end thereof, said first leg being longer than the distance between said attachment point and the other end thereof, stop means carried by said work board between said attachment point and said other end, a second rigid leg pivotally connected to said first leg at a pivot point which divides each leg into upper and lower portions, the upper portion of said second leg being movable lengthwise of said board between said stop means and said attachment point and adapted to cooperate with said stop means to form with said first leg an X-type support for said Work board when said board is in a substantially horizontal position, said ironing board being characterized by the fact that the lower portion of said second leg is longer than the lower portion of said first leg, but the upper portion of said first leg is at least as long as the upper portion of said second leg, the weight of said supper portion of said second leg being counterbalanced to an extent such that when said first leg is vertical, and the lower portion of said second leg hangs free, said second leg will swing about said pivot point toward said first leg to brin said lower portions together.

2. A folding ironing board of the type comprising an elongated work board, a rigid first leg having an upper end pivotally attached to said work board at an attachment point between the center of gravity of said work board and one end thereof, said first leg being longer than the distance between said attachment point and the other end thereof, stop means carried by said work board between said attachment point and said other end, a second rigid leg pivotally connected to said first leg at a pivot point which divides each leg into upper and lower portions, the upper portion of said second leg being movable lengthwise of said board between said stop means and said attachment point and adapted to cooperate with said stop means to form with said first leg an X-type support for said work board when said board is in a substantially horizontal position, said ironing board being characterized by the fact that the lower portion of said second leg is longer than the lower portion of said first leg, but the upper portion of said first leg is at least as long as the upper portion of said second leg, the upper portion of said second leg being bent out of alignment with the lower portion thereof and toward the upper portion of said first leg so that said legs when swung apart into a predea termined relative position provide a substantially level support for said work board, and said second leg is resiliently biased toward a position in which the upper portions of both legs lie together.

3. A folding ironing board of the type comprising an elongated work board, a rigid first leg having an upper end pivotally attached to said work board at an attachment point between the center of gravity of said work board and one end thereof, said first leg being longer than the distance between said attachment point and the other end thereof, stop means carried by said work hoard between said attachment point and said other end, a second rigid leg pivotally connected to said first leg at a pivot point which divides each leg into upper and lower portions, the upper portion of said second leg being movable lengthwise of said board between said stop means and said attachment point and adapted to cooperate with said stop means to form with said first leg an X-type support for said Work board when said board is in a substantially horizontal position, said ironing board being characterized by the fact that the lower portion of said second leg is longer than the lower portion of said first leg, but the upper portion of said first leg is at least as long as the upper portion of said second leg, the upper portion of said second leg being bent out of alignment with the lower portion thereof and toward the upper portion of said first leg so that said legs provide a level support for said work board, and said pivot point is above the center of gravity of said legs so that the weight of the lower portion of said second leg is greater than the weight of the upper portion thereof.

4. A folding ironing board of the type comprising an elongated work board, a rigid first leg having an upper end pivotally attached to said work board at an attachment point between the center of gravity of said work a board and one end thereof, said first leg being longer than the distance between said attachment point and the other end thereof, stop means carried by said work board between said attachment point and said other end, a second rigid leg pivotally connected to said first leg at a pivot point which divides each leg into upper and lower portions, the upper portion of said second leg being movable lengthwise of said board between said stop means and said attachment point and adapted to cooperate with said stop means to form with said first leg an X-type support for said work board when said board is in a substantially horizontal position, said ironing board being characterized by the fact that the lower portion of said second leg is longer than the lower portion of said first leg, but the upper portion of said first leg is at least as long as the upper portion of said second leg, the upper portion of said second leg being bent out of alignment with the lowerportion thereof and toward the upper portion of said first leg so that said legs provide a level support for said work board, the weight of said upper portion of said second leg being counterbalanced to an extent such that when said first leg is vertical, and the lower portion of said second leg hangs free, said second leg will swing about said pivot point toward said first leg to bring said lower portions together.

5. A folding ironing board as claimed in claim 4 in which a spring is connected between the upper portion of said second leg and a point on said work board between the attachment point for said first leg and the end of said work board nearest said attachment point, said spring serving to counterbalance the weight of the upper portion of said second leg.

6. A folding ironing board as claimed in claim 4 in which said pivot point is above the center of gravity of said legs and comprising resilient means connected between the upper portion of said second leg and a point on said work board between the attachment point for said first leg and the end of said work board nearest said attachment point.

'7. A- folding ironing board as claimed in claim 4 in which said stop means is a short arm pivotally connected to said work board, and comprising cooperating means pivotally carried by the upper portion of said second leg and slidably engaging the stop means on said work board, said stop means being provided with adjustable means for limiting their relative sliding movement.

8. A fol-ding ironing board as claimed in claim 4 in which said stop means comprises an elongated movable member formed to receive the upper end of said second leg, and slidably mounted on said work board for longitudinal movement relative thereto, latch means carried by said work board and resiliently biased toward said movable member, said latch means and movable member being provided with cooperating means capable of being interengaged when said movable member is in any one of a plurality of longitudinal positions relative to said work board and operation to immobilize said movable member when so engaged, and a lever arm connected to move said cooperating means into and out of engagement with each other, and means resiliently biassing the upper end of said second leg toward the upper end of said first leg.

9. A folding ironing board as claimed in claim 8 in which said stop means carries a socket having an opening transversely disposed with respect to the plane of said work board, into and out of which the upper end of said second leg may move when it travels longitudinally along the work board, parallel to said plane, but the upper end of said second leg carries catch means projecting horizontally over a portion of said movable member when the upper end of said second leg is in said socket, thus preventing removal of the upper end of said second leg from said socket in a direction transverse to the plane of said work board.

10. A folding ironing board as claimed in claim 9 in which said lever arm is pivotally carried by said work board to swing in a vertical plane and in a small arc terminating just below said work board, said latch means being released when said lever arm is in its uppermost position.

111. A folding ironing board as claimed in claim 10 comprising a guide wire stretched longitudinally along said work board, the upper end of said second arm being slidably connected to said wire.

12. A folding ironing board as claimed in claim 4 in which the upper portion of said second leg is shorter than the upper portion of said first leg.

References *Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,982,205 11/34 Dorman 36-10 2,424,734 7/47 Booth 108-118 2,432,192 12/47 Gaudette 108-116 2,733,971 2/56 House 108-116 2,798,640 7/57 Coddington 108-120 X 2,908,984 10/59 Lantz 38-121 FOREIGN PATENTS 210,961 10/57 Australia. 1,093,633 11/54 France. 1,188,189 9/59 France.

750,182 6/56 Great Britain.

877,881 9/61 Great Britain.

147,500 11/54 Sweden.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner. 

1. A FOLDING IRONING BOARD OF THE TYPE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED WORK BOARD, A RIGID LEG HAVING AN UPPER END PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO SAID WORK BOARD AT AN ATTACHMENT POINT BETWEEN THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID WORK BOARD AND ONE END THEREOF, SAID FIRST LEG BEING LONGER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID ATTACHMENT POINT AND THE OTHER END THEREOF, STOP MEANS CARRIED BY SAID WORK BOARD BETWEEN, SAID ATTACHMENT POINT AND SAID OTHER END, A SECOND RIGID LEG PIVOTALLY CONNETED TO SAID FIRST LEG AT A PIVOT POINT WHICH DIVIDES EACH LEG INTO UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS, THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID SECOND LEG BEING MOVABLE LENGTHWISE OF SAID BOARD BETWEEN SAID STOP MEANS AND SAID ATTACHMENT POINT AND ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH SAID STOP MEANS TO FORM WITH SAID FIRST LEG AN X-TYPE SUPPORT FOR SAID WORK BOARD WHEN SAID BOARD IS IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION, SAID IRONING BOAD BEING CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID SECOND LEG IS LONGER THAN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID FIRST LEG, BUT THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID FIRST LEG IS AT LEAST AS LONG AS THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID SECOND LEG, THE WEIGHT OF SAID SUPPER PORTION OF SAID SECOND LEG BEING COUNTERBALANCED TO AN EXTENT SUCH THAT WHEN SAID FIRST LEG IS VERTICAL, AND THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID SECOND LEG HANGS FREE, SAID SECOND LEG WILL SWING ABOUT SAID PIVOT POINT TOWARD SAID FIRST LEG TO BRING SAID LOWER PORTIONS TOGETHER. 